People are voting emotionally.

Am I Missing Something?

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Captain "Red" Ned Lynch and Nick Debrett, white and black pirate cohorts in 1718 Jamaica, oppose the evil Lord Durant, who has imprisoned the Lord High Justice and banished the judge's daughter; she enlists the pirates' help for 10,000 doubloons to kill Durant and rescue her father. Critically-drubbed pirate-package from producer Jennings Lang, who must have known Errol Flynn movies were no longer in vogue in 1976 (an odd dollop of kink is added, along with a threat of castration, to modernize the scenario). Still, Lang assembled a strong cast for the picture, including Robert Shaw (fresh off his triumph in "Jaws") as Lynch, Peter Boyle as the preening villain and Genevieve Bujold as the fencing damsel (who has a memorable swimming scene). Except for a horse cart full of bananas, director James Goldstone doesn't go in for campy laughs--the movie is a fairly straightforward pirate adventure--and yet "Swashbuckler" failed to resurrect the genre as "The Three Musketeers" resurrected Dumas in 1973. Philip H. Lathrop's cinematography (particularly his outdoor aerial shots) is a major asset, and yet a lot more style and gloss was required to put this thing over the top. ** from ****

Swashbuckler is a fun pirate movie with Robert Shaw good in the lead role as Captain "Red" Ned Lynch. Genevieve Bujold was very good as the main female character Jane Barnet and quite a nice little scene of her swimming in the nude. Beau Bridges makes for good comic relief in his role as Major Folly and no doubt his character got that name for the purpose of that very function. Finally Peter Boyle was very good as the film's main villain Lord Durant. All the players including the aforementioned ones made this movie work by their smooth handling of what was presented in this movie. A very good all-around fun pirate movie with enjoyable fight sequences and one that can be seen in a easily relaxed way.

IN AN AGE when blood and gore realism was a hallmark and element of so many pictures, SWASHBUCKLER offers a quaint bit of contrast. Without doing a total number on a particular genre a la AIRPLANE, this film hearkens back to the likes of THE SEAHAWK and THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD both with the greatest of all screen Swashbucklers, Errol Flynn.IN SETTING UP the production, the producer/director/casting agency all quickly got on the same page. Meticulously designing, constructing and executing a film that had nothing quite like it at that point in time.IN BRINGING TOGETHER a cast which would do justice to their vision of the story, they went with top talent; all of whom just happened to be "Hot Box Office". Robert Shaw (THE STING, JAWS), James Earl Jones, Genevieve Bujold (ANNE OF AS THOUSAND DAYS, EARTHQUAKE)_, Peter Boyle (JOE, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE)and Beau Bridges making up the major players, were all at the top of their collective game and at Box Office $$$$.THE INCLUSION OF great sets, location shooting, costuming, weaponry and the all important "Pirate Ships" easily transported us from 20th century America to a 17th century "Spanish Maine" (the Carribbean).THE PURPOSE OF doing the film in this manner was to make a very untypical picture for the '70's. We the audience were invited to see an "Old Fashioned" movie, through the eyes of a kid; the way that we should view life, itself.WHY THEY PROBABLY could have garnered an unthinkable "G" Rating!HORRORS, NOT THAT!"Highly Recommended" (and little seen today)!

I often wonder if Bujold had it in her contracts that she HAD to appear naked at some point in any film she made in the 70s.That said, the film is an enjoyable flick. I'm hoping the success of Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) prompts whoever owns Swashbuckler to give it a nice DVD release.